How to Plan a Fun Pottery Party for Kids

There are all kinds of themes and activities you can choose to make a kids’ party more fun and memorable – all you have to do is use your imagination. You can use common themes like pirates, princesses, or whatever movies happen to be trending at the moment, just for example. Or you could incorporate entertainment such as clowns, magicians, or a band. And there are always activities like a scavenger hunt, a bounce house, or a variety of games that can make your kids’ party a hit.

But you might also want to consider a themed party that includes an activity and allows kids to take home a favor they crafted on their own. In this case a pottery party hits all the high points. All you have to figure out is how to make it fun for the kids.

Most kids love to get crafty, but the level of involvement when it comes to pottery will depend largely on the age group you’re dealing with. For example, you could throw a pottery party for a baby’s first or second birthday, but what you’re going to end up doing is having all the parents create handprints in pieces of clay. There’s nothing wrong with this – most parents would love to take home such a memento of baby’s tiny hand, preserving it forever. But as kids get a little older they’ll be able to participate more in the process, crafting their own masterpieces or at least painting ready-made cups or plates that can be glazed and fired.

This brings us to the second consideration for your pottery party: are you going to have it at home or in a professional studio setting? There are pros and cons to each. For a home party you’ll have to head to the craft store to order blocks of clay that are suitable for use in-home, which is to say, you can bake them in your oven or in some cases simply let them air dry. The major upside to this approach is that it is bound to cost a lot less than going to a studio. On the other hand, you’ll likely be left with a huge mess to clean up.

Heading to a studio, on the other hand, means that there will be professionals on hand to set up, assist, and take care of the cleaning and follow-up, baking the pieces as needed. It will cost you more, no doubt, but you can select from venues where kids sculpt their own pottery and those where they get to decorate pre-made pieces with paint and whatever else is on hand. This makes the party a lot easier for you, and the novelty will provide a measure of fun for the kids. Plus, many such venues offer pottery party packages that could include food, drinks, cake, games, and more. So you might want to look into the businesses within your local contemporary ceramic studios association to find the ones that can offer kids a fun day of crafting and a unique party experience.